Ramaphosa, Musk speak about 'misinformation' after Trump attack

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to Elon Musk on the subject of misinformation about South Africa, the presidency said on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said he would suspend aid to the country over its land reform policy.

Trump on Sunday accused South Africa of confiscating land and badly treating "certain classes of people". Ramaphosa responded on Monday that the government had not confiscated any land and the policy was aimed at ensuring equitable public access to land.

South African-born billionaire Musk, who is close to Trump, had waded into the dispute on Monday with a post on X accusing South Africa of having "openly racist ownership laws", suggesting white people were the victims.

The presidency said on X that Ramaphosa and Musk had spoken on Monday "on issues of misinformation and distortions" about South Africa.

"In the process, the President reiterated South Africa's constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness and equality," it said, giving no further details.

Apartheid legacy

Trump's outburst came after Ramaphosa last month signed the Expropriation Bill into law, replacing the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975.

South Africa argued that the 1913 Natives Land Act led to thousands of Black families being forcibly removed from their land. Apartheid's formal policies remained in place until 1990, with South Africa holding its first multi-racial elections in 1994.

The new legislation outlined the process by which state entities could expropriate land in the public interest for various purposes. The issue became a rallying point for the right, with figures like Musk and far-right journalist Katie Hopkins defending white landowners.

Musk, born in Pretoria on June 28, 1971, had an engineer father and a Canadian-born model mother before he left South Africa in his teens. Separately, Hopkins was temporarily banned from leaving South Africa after authorities confiscated her passport over allegations of spreading racial hatred.

Trump said the US will halt all funding to the country until a thorough investigation into the matter is completed.

Ramaphosa's office said South Africa was a "constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality". He clarified that South Africa was receiving only HIV/AIDS prevention funding.